ROSEMONT, IL (September 22, 2011 – Marketwire)—U.S. Foodservice today announced the winners of its third annual vendor recognition awards.National Beef and PepsiCo Foodservice took top honors as U.S. Foodservice's 2011 Exclusive Brands (EB) Vendor of the Year and Manufacturer's Brand (MB) Vendor of the Year, respectively. The companies were chosen out of more than 200 vendors. National Beef also won the 2011 Center of the Plate award, and PepsiCo earned the 2011 Beverage Award.
"These vendors are critical to our mission of providing the highest quality products and services to more than 250,000 customers around the country," said Pietro Satriano, chief merchandising officer, U.S. Foodservice. "Congratulations to National Beef, PepsiCo and the other winning companies, who excel in all the qualities that are important to us and ultimately, our customers."
More than 60 U.S. Foodservice divisions and support offices participate in the selection process. Vendors were evaluated on seven important criteria: Sales Growth, Gross Margin Improvement, Divisional Sales and Merchandising Support, Food Safety and Product Quality, Logistics, National Account Support and Business Friendliness.
Nine companies were recognized for their superior performance in the following product categories:
·Center of the Plate - National Beef
·Beverage - PepsiCo Foodservice
·Fruits and Vegetables - C&F Foods
·Non-Foods - GenPak
·Grocery - Dakota Growers Pasta
·Frozen - Maple Leaf Bakery
·Produce - Taylor Farms (third consecutive win)
·Dairy - Dannon Company
·Seafood - Aqua Star
Additionally, the following companies were recognized for functional excellence:
·Logistics - Schwan Food Co.
·Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Mariner Seafood
·National Accounts - Red Gold
·Business Friendliness - Trident Seafood
·Exclusive Brands Partnership, Vendor of the Year - National Beef
·Manufacturers Brands Partnership, Vendor of the Year – PepsiCo Foodservice
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